WHERE DO CUSTOMERS FIT INTO THE STRATEGIC PLANNING PROCESS?
For many successful organizations, the voice of the customer drives their operations and charts the course for their future. Companies, as well as state and city governments, have begun focusing on customers as one of the key drivers in planning for the future. Witness the comments from several best-in-class organizations: • “All plans are hard-wired to the customer.” • “Wouldn’t even think about developing a long-range plan without the input of citizens.” • “There are no bosses within the corporation except the customer.” • “Locking in on the customer is the way to survive in changing times.” WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY A “CUSTOMER-DRIVEN” ORGANIZATION? For the purposes of this study, a “customer- driven organization” is defined as one that “maintains a focus on the needs and expectations, both spoken and unspoken, of customers, both present and future, in the creation and/or improvement of the product or service provided.” Again, it will be useful to define specific terms used in this defini
